Instructions For: Installing A Fence to Keep out Raccoons and Woodchucks A hybrid barrier/electric fence Height: 18 Inches Includes directions on how to augment an existing barrier fence with an electric one (height: 9 inches) These pages include the following: A list of parts needed A list of tools and other materials needed Step-by-step installation instructions Maintenance tips 1 of 11
Parts list: Barrier fence parts: Green wire mesh fencing - 50' x 18" rolls Enough to go all the way around the perimeter of the garden Fiberglass Fence Posts - 3/8 x 27 Enough to place one about every 6 feet along the fence line Clip-on insulators for round 3/8-inch posts Enough to place 2 insulators on each 27-inch post Electric fence parts: A charger/energizer (AC, battery, or solar-powered) Recommended power rating of 0.25-0.75 joules Polyethylene weed barrier - rolls of 50 x 3 Enough to go all the way around the garden Fiberglass Posts - 3/8 x 18 Enough to place one about every 8 feet along the fence line Clip-on insulators for round 3/8 posts Enough to place 2 insulators on each 18-inch post Aluminum electric fence wire (14 to 17-gauge) Enough to go twice around the garden A ground rod (2-foot length recommended) Warning signs (optional) 2 of 11
An electric fence tester Only for fences with AC-powered chargers: Insulated hookup wire Enough to reach from the nearest AC outlet to the fence Tools and Supplies Needed: Gardening or work gloves Pliers, scissors, wire-cutters, a hammer, and a yardstick or measuring tape Wood chips or bark mulch: Enough to cover the weed barrier to a depth of 1 inch Weatherproof electrician s tape Stones to secure the weed barrier to the ground Videos: We provide several short videos on installation of Mr. McGregor s Fence. These are available here. Before starting installation you may wish to view one of these videos. Youtube Channel MrMcgregorStore Playlist Critter kits A. Preparation 1. Clear and level the path over which the fence will run. 2. Choose a spot for your electric fence charger/energizer: If you have an AC- powered charger then that spot should be at an AC outlet in a shed, barn or garage or professionally installed outdoor outlet. If you have a battery-powered charger it should be within a few feet of the fence. If you have a solar-powered charger it should be in full sun facing south, also close to the fence. 3 of 11
3. If you are only installing the electric portion of the fence, either because you already have a barrier fence in place or because you only want a stand alone electric fence, please use only the following steps: B1 & B9, Section C, & Section D B. Installing the Green Wire Mesh Barrier Fence: 1. Put down the weed barrier: Unroll the weed barrier and lay it down over the path you cleared. Unfold it to its full 3 ft. width and weigh it down with rocks or bricks to keep it in place. Cut the weed barrier with scissors at each fence corner to change its direction. 2. Place insulators on the 27 inch fiberglass posts: Unbundle the 27-inch posts and clip two of your insulators onto each post. Do this by holding the insulator perpendicular to the post and twisting it until it snaps on. Make sure that the opening in each top insulator s wire hanger is toward the BOTTOM and the opening of each bottom insulator s wire hanger is toward the TOP. Slide the insulators so that the upper insulator is near the post top and the lower insulator is about 18 inches down from the post top. If the weather is cold, attach the insulators indoors because low temperatures (within 10 or so degrees of freezing) will make the insulators brittle, and they can break when you try to snap them on. 3. Insert the 27 posts: Put one post at each corner and one at either side of any gate door you want. Space the rest of the posts about 6 feet apart all around the fence. Insert each post through the polyfilm weed barrier (about 1 foot in from the garden side of the barrier) and insert it 9 inches into the ground. Wear gloves in handling the posts to avoid getting fiberglass splinters from the cut post tops and bottoms. If you need to tap a post with a hammer, put a small piece of wood board between the hammer and the top of the post to avoid marring the post top. 4 of 11
4. Attach the barrier fence to the 27 posts: Starting at one of the corners, unroll some of the green wire mesh fence against two or more posts. If you have attached a squirrel barrier, put it on the other side of the posts. Then use the insulators to attach the fencing to the posts. Do this by catching one of the horizontal green fence wires in the upper insulator s hanger and sliding the insulator up or down until the top of the fencing is flush with the top of the post. Next, catch another horizontal wire in the lower insulator s hanger and slide that insulator up until the fencing is held firmly, arranging things so that the bottom of the fence is in good contact with the ground. Repeat this at each post until you come to the place where you want a gate (if you want one) or until you reach the end of the first fence roll. 5. Create and operate a gate: To make a gate, go to a point about 3 inches past your first gate post and cut the fencing s horizontal wires. Then take the remaining portion of the fence roll and cut a width of fencing about 8 inches wider than the gate opening. Now attach the fencing to each gate post so that each length of fencing overlaps about 4 inches into the gate opening on both sides of the gate. To open the gate, slide the top insulators on the gate posts up and remove the gate door. To close the gate, replace the gate door in the lower insulators and move the top insulators back down to secure it. 6. Join together the barrier fence rolls: Continue attaching your fencing to the posts until you reach the end of the first fence roll. Then open the next roll of fencing and join the two rolls by bending the wires that extend from one roll around the last vertical wire on the other roll. 7. Terminate the barrier fence: Continue attaching the remaining barrier fencing to the posts until you have gone all the way around the garden. When you reach the corner post where you started, cut off any excess fencing, leaving enough wire extending so that you can wrap the wire extensions around this last corner post. 5 of 11
8. Make the barrier fence stand straight: If the fence bows, straighten it by moving the posts slightly or changing their position. 9. Apply the wood chips or mulch to the weed barrier: Cover the weed barrier with wood chips or bark mulch until none of it is showing. C. Installing the Electric Fence: 1. Attach insulators to the 18 posts: Unbundle the 18 posts and clip 2 insulators to each post as above; but this time arrange things so that the openings in the insulators wire hangers are all at the TOP. Place one insulator at the top of the post, and the other about 4 inches below it. 2. Insert the 18 posts: Position the 18 posts by laying them down in their intended places around the barrier fence. Place one post at each corner and two at each gate (one at either side of the gate door), and space the remaining posts out evenly about 8 feet apart. Push each post through the polyfilm about 4 inches out from the barrier fence (5 inches out at the corners) and insert it 9 inches into the ground. If you already have an existing fence, insert the posts into the weed barrier close enough to your existing fence so that a climbing/exploring raccoon or woodchuck couldn t climb the barrier fence without encountering the electric wire. 3. String the electric fence wire: Start the wire hanging process by winding the end of the wire around the top insulator at your gate to secure it. (If you have no gate, begin at a corner) Then string the wire along to the next insulator and hang the wire in it. 4. String the corners: At each corner wind the wire around the insulator a couple of times before proceeding to stabilize the system. 6 of 11
5. Terminate the electric fence wire: When you wish to end a string of wire (either at the gate or at the end of a run), cut the wire about 3 inches beyond the last post and wind this 3 inches around the last insulator to ensure the wire stays put. 6. Stringing wire across the gate: If your fence will have a gate, attach a new run of wire to one of the gate posts. Wind it a couple of time around the top insulator on that post to get a good anchor, then proceed across the gate opening to wrap and terminate your wire on the second gate post. To open your gate, you must switch off the power and remove the wire. This fence is step-over, so the gate would only be used for wheelbarrows or machinery. 7. String the 2nd line of electric fence wire: When you get back to the fiberglass post where you started, wind the wire a couple of times around the post just above the top insulator so that the wire is held securely without preventing you from unwinding in the future. Then bring the wire down to the post s lower insulator, wind it a couple of times around the lower insulator, and proceed to hang the wire from each of the lower insulators (taking an extra turn around the corner insulators) just as you did with the top insulators. 8. Deal with sagging wires: Check to be sure the wire is not sagging anywhere. If it sags or touches the green fence, adjust it by shifting individual posts or by taking extra wraps around the posts. 9. Pound in the ground rod: In a location near the fence, tap the ground rod into the ground, leaving a couple of inches above ground. If you are using our 2-foot ground rod, be sure not to damage the threads at the top of the rod. D. Charger/Energizer Installation and Trouble-shooting: 7 of 11
1. Remove the fence charger/energizer from its package: upon opening, read the installation instructions; including the safety provisions. Never by-pass the charger, and never use an extension cord carrying house current outdoors in connection with this kit because house current is dangerous and can create life-threatening situations. 2. Place your charger/energizer: a. If your charger is AC-powered, plug it into an AC outlet near the fence, arranging things so that you have enough insulated hookup wire to reach from the charger to the fence. If your charger is being placed outdoors: Prolong the charger s life by providing some protection from the weather (rain and snow). This can be done with wooden housing or with something as simple as the bottom of a 1 gallon plastic milk bottle, with a small vent cut in it. If the charger is being placed indoors Provide a small hole through a wall or woodwork that is large enough to admit the insulated hookup wire. Do not pass the insulated hookup wire through a door or window opening, as this is likely to cause bending or other stress that could break the insulation. b. If your charger is battery-powered, get either D-cell batteries or a deep cycle battery of the appropriate voltage; these batteries (in contrast to car batteries) can be drawn down fully before being recharged. Locate the charger near the fence and connect it to your battery. Prolong the charger s life by providing some protection from the weather (rain and snow). This can be done with wooden housing or with something as simple as the bottom of a 1 gallon plastic milk bottle, with a small vent cut in it. c. If your charger is solar-powered, orient it so that its solar panel catches maximum sun and place the charger near the fence. Allow it some time to charge before testing it. 8 of 11
3. Test the charger/energizer: Plug in or turn on the charger/energizer; many have lights, meters, or clicking noises when activated. Use your fence tester to touch both the positive and negative terminals simultaneously, and the tester should activate. If it does not activate, you may have a problem with your battery/outlet/charger. Run control tests to see if you have a defective battery/outlet. If still unresponsive, the problem is likely with the charger, and you should call the charger s maker to activate its warrantee. 4. Connect the positive (+) terminal to the fence wire: Unplug or turn off the charger. If you are using insulated hookup wire, strip 2 inches of insulation from it. Attach the wire to your charger s POSITIVE (+) terminal. Run that wire out to the fence. Attach the other end of the connection wire to the fence wire with a split-bolt clamp. If you are using insulated wire, put it an inch or so underground to keep it safe from feet and lawnmowers. Or else, if heavy traffic passes over the hookup wire at any point, put the wire through a well-drained underground pipe to protect it. 5. Connect the negative (-) terminal to the ground rod: Take a connection wire (either bare or insulated) that is long enough to reach from the top of the ground rod to the NEGATIVE (-) terminal on your electric fence charger. If you have a two-foot ground rod, thread the two nuts onto the ground rod. Open a space between the two nuts, loop the wire around the ground rod in this space, and tighten the nuts so that the wire cannot move. If you have a 6-foot ground rod, tighten the clamp on the top of the rod with the two screws and unscrew the top screw until the hole below it is fully open. Slip the wire into the attachment hole and then tighten the top screw until the wire cannot move. Then attach the other end of the connection wire to the electric fence charger s 9 of 11
NEGATIVE (-) terminal. Make sure that NOTHING attached to the charger s positive (+) terminal including the charged fence wire has been connected directly or indirectly to the charger s negative terminal. The positively charged system (positive terminal, hookup wire, fence wire) must be kept entirely separate from the negative system (negative terminal, ground wire, ground rod, moisture in the ground). That s because the raccoon or woodchuck gets a shock when it provides a bridge between the two systems. If the systems are already hitched together, or if weeds leaning on the fence provide a better bridge between the two systems than the animal does, then the animal will not get a shock. 6. Test your fence: Take your fence tester and check the fence wire at various points along the fence line. Do this by inserting the tester s needle (at the end of the cord) into moist ground and then touching the metal tip at the top of the tester to the charged wire. The tester should register a voltage similar to that advertized on your charger/energizer. If it doesn t, even though the charger s light is flashing, check all the connections on the fence to ensure that a good flow of energy is being maintained across all the connections. Once the tester is registering the desired voltage along the whole fence line, your fence is operating properly. Maintenance Tips: The soil just outside the charged wire should be damp enough so that any animal touching the wire will be grounded. Wetting the fence line area during periods when the soil seems dry should help to accomplish this (remember to first turn off the charger to avoid a shock). Be aware that animal impacts, falling branches, or plants leaning on the charged wire can neutralize your system. Therefore, inspect periodically for downed posts or lines and for encroaching vines, grasses, or other plants in order to keep the fence properly charged. Finally, please note the following seasonal limitations of your system: An AC-powered charger can operate through the winter, but very low temperatures can freeze the ground moisture hard enough to neutralize the system. A battery-powered or solar-powered charger will be less effective in cold winter seasons, 10 of 11
partly because of reduced sunlight and partly because chemical storage batteries tend to operate at less than full efficiency in cold weather. 11 of 11